Amazon is upping its game in the living room with the launch of its first-ever Mini-LED televisions, delivering increased brightness and pixel control, in a sign it’s looking to take on more premium-quality brands.
The new Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED TVs were debuted alongside the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which can of course be paired with it for enhanced sound. In addition, the company also announced a refreshed Amazon Fire TV 4-series for those who want a more affordable screen.
It’s significant that the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED TVs is Amazon’s first-ever foray into the real of Mini-LED TVs, and it will sit at the top of its growing range of Fire TVs, ahead of the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED series, which was previously considered to be its best-specced model.
According to Amazon, Omni Mini-LED series TVs will deliver 1,400 nits of peak brightness, which suggests it’s more of a mid-range Mini-LED set, competing with models such as Hisense’s U7N and Samsung’s Neo-QLED QN85D. In addition to its reasonably high brightness, it features something called “Intelligent Picture Technology”, which uses AI to optimise and analyse the content being shown on a scene-by-scene basis, adjusting the colour, detail and more, to get the picture looking just right.
There’s also a light sensor onboard that helps to adjust the picture based on the ambient light in the room, while other features include Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, plus Dolby Atmos audio support and a decent audio system that consists of two speakers and two subwoofers.
In addition, there’s an extensive list of features for gamers, with the TV boasting a 144HZ refresh rate, Variable Refresh Rate with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Auto Low-Latency Mode, ensuring slick graphics during intense gameplay.
Amazon said the Omni Mini-LED series TVs will come with all of the best bits of the Fire TV platform, including an Ambient Experience, which displays dynamic or static art and videos when the TV is left idle, plus Alexa voice controls. And in a future update, Amazon is promising to support Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids, which makes it possible for sound to be streamed directly to compatible ASHA hearing-aid devices. That should make it a compelling option for anyone who’s hard of hearing.
It remains to be seen how Amazon will fare, as Mini-LED is one of the most competitive segments in the TV industry. Until now, it has mostly been dominated by Samsung, Hisense and TCL, while Sony is also pushing hard, with its flagship 2024 TV, the Sony Bravia 9, based on Mini-LED technology rather than OLED.
The Amazon Omni Mini-LED Series TVs won’t compete with the highest-end Mini-LED models, but they look like they’ll stack up well in the mid-range category, especially with their competitive price tag of just £649.99 for the 55-inch model.
Alongside its Mini-LED debut, Amazon revealed a new soundbar to go with those TVs, and it looks to be its best yet. It’s called the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, and it’s an improvement on last year’s Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, featuring a 3.1-channel speaker array and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Last year’s model only supported the former, but not the latter.
Users will be able to purchase an additional wireless subwoofer that can be paired with the soundbar, as well as wireless rear speakers, creating a more expansive home theatre system, if desired.
Amazon said the Fire TV Soundbar Plus will cost $249.99 on its own, with the price increasing to $374.99 if you throw in a subwoofer, and $489.99 if you also add two wireless speakers. It’s not currently available in the U.K.
Last but not least, Amazon said it’s refreshing its budget Amazon Fire TV 4-series models. They’re getting a new look, with a slimmer “ultra-slim” bezel, but there doesn’t seem to be too many other new features. Consumers can choose from the 43-inch model, priced at $329.99, the 50-inch model at $399.99 and the 55-inch model, which costs $459.99. Like with the soundbar, there’s no word on U.K. prices or a release date, but we do expect them to arrive on these shores at some point.
